The Minister and his officials in the Department for Social Development are considering the options for Social Housing Reform. The rationale behind this reform programme is:

To create a system that better meets the needs of tenants

Better maintain stock

Have more of a tenant focus

DSD is progressing the Social Housing Reform Programme (SHRP), having now recruited a dedicated team within Housing Division for that purpose, assisted by several senior Strategic Investment Board appointees. In autumn 2013 NIFHA submitted short papers with our initial views on landlord restructuring, rent and regulation policy and the proposed regional housing body. We have also continued to meet with members of the SHRP team to discuss aspects of the Programme.

NIFHA is lobbying for the reforms to give high-performing associations a fair chance to do more under reformed structures, and for the new settlement to protect the independence of associations.

We met Minister McCausland on the SHRP in late February 2014, ahead of the Social Development Committee and NI Executive considering the first phase of scoping work by DSD, before they give permission for the next phase of more detailed design work to begin.